Hidden and Still Hiding
by Crafter of Dreams
Summary: He told her to hide, to stay hidden and blend in the background. However, that's kind of hard for Ashley to do as a half-blood. Even harder for her because she has something inside her that protects her and scares the monsters. That kind of thing attracts attention, you know.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO! Only Ashley and other Characters that pop up in here that don't in PJO.**

**On to the story!**

Her hair, tied back in a braid, was beginning to become undone. The dark brown color contrasted with her brilliant green eyes. Her purple tee shirt, ripped in the stomach area, brushed against her tanned skin. Her light blue jeans, faded and dusty, had a couple rips in them too. Thankfully the rips weren't anywhere awkward. Ashley sprinted as fast as she could toward that hill. Gasping for air, she urged her exhausted muscles onward. As she ran, she could hear it behind her, that growling that scared her tired legs on faster. Would it never stop chasing her?

Stopping, she rested her hands on her knees, gasping for air.

"Come little demigod. Stop and I'll make it quick, I promise."

The raspy voice only served to terrify her further and she shot off like a startled hare.

_Come on, just a little further, s_he thought. _Just make it up that hill. One last stretch then I'm safe. Come on!_

Each step upwards seemed to take a little of her strength from her. But as long as she continued to outdistance that abomination, nothing mattered. She hoped. If it caught her, she knew it would come out. That thing that she had accepted so long ago. A real blessing and a curse. It had kept her alive all these years and those years _had _been many. She was so very old and yet so very young in appearance. _In all these years I've lived, why didn't I learn to drive? _she asked herself angrily.

"Demigod, you need not worry yourself of going to the camp. To many horrors await you there. Easier just to let me kill you."

Yeah, like that was ever going to happen! The deep, hoarse, slightly out of breath voicsounded closer, but so was the top of this stupid hill. Only a few more feet! Run! Then it happened. A large hand curled around her waist and tugged her off her feet.

"I have you now demigod. No escape for you."

Ashley let out a piercing scream. Not because of the monster. It came over her. The thing buried deep inside her mind. That shadow. When she opened her eyes again, it wasn't her. The Shadow lifted her head. Holding out her hand, she summoned the sword that had saved her life many times. Flicking it into a backward hand grip, the tip of it behind her, she stabbed back. She felt the blade sink in to that monster. The hold on her lessened and she dropped to the ground, landed on her feet, and spun to face her attacker. She immediately wished she hadn't. Man that thing looked like it had a serious case of allergies! With red eyes and a nose all wet and dripping, it looked like it was having a bad day also. Not to mention that ugly wound that now graced it's torso. The Shadow dropped the sword, shaking her head. When it was completely gone , she summoned up a pistol, cocked it, then fired.

BANG!

The monster fell back, disintegrating into dust that blew away in the wind.

The ring she wore on her finger glowed as the gun returned to it. Closing her eyes, the Shadow receded back into the recesses of Ashley's mind.

Ashley opened her eyes, gulping for air. Her muscles faltering, she collapsed to the ground thinking to herself, _I hate Mondays, but at the moment, Tuesdays are coming pretty close._

She sank into unconsciousness, sprawling on the ground, her braid practically undone and framing her face. Every muscle in her body jumped at the chance to rest and cramp just to irritate her when she awoke. This was how the two teens, armed and ready for a fight, found her.

"Must have been terrified out of her wits. Poor kid," the first boy said.

"And super tired. Don't forget that," added the second.

"Let's get her to Mr. D and hope that he's in a good mood. I don't know if she's mentally stable after going through something like that Alex," decided kid number one.

Alex nodded his head and said,

"You want to carry her or should I?"

Kid number one, name Joe, said, "You go ahead man. I'm too tired from Chiron's archery class."

Lifting her carefully, the two friends carried Ashley into Camp Half-Blood a safe haven that she had been to before. Not that anyone remembered her. She had gone to great lengths to be forgotten. Ashley Williams, the English girl who had lived for centuries, forever youthful.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed Chapter one! Please review! Even if it's instructive criticism. You can even tell me if you would like more detail and stuff and I'll do my best to comply! But I know that's kind of hard on the first chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Next chapter is here! Read on!**

The two boys, Alex and Joe, had brought her to the infirmary, where they left her in the care of a son of Apollo. As they walked away, Alex turned to Joe saying,

"You do know that bringing her here was the easy part right? We still have to face Mr. D."

Joe winced. "I am not looking forward to that. I really hope this is a good idea. This girl owes us big time when she wakes up."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "What if she doesn't wake up? How and why would she owe us then? Or even worse, what if Mr. D gets annoyed at us for bothering him when there was nothing to be bothered with?"

"Bothered with what?" came a bored voice from behind them.

Both boys froze. Turning around slowly, they faced Mr. D, and almost dropped their jaws in shock. Whether he had actually lost weight or just changed his appearance wasn't really in debate; it was Mr. D after all. He seemed taller, which tipped the scales to having changed his appearance. He no longer had that pudgy face, or those blood shot eyes. His red nose, the one that both boys had made fun of multiple times, was no longer it's rosy color.

"Finished staring?" he asked. For anyone else it might have been a simple question, but with Mr. D, it was most certainly a warning. Alex and Joe nodded quickly, fervently wishing that they weren't there.

"Now what am I being bothered with?" Mr. D asked, annoyed.

Alex spoke up. "We found a girl on Half-Blood Hill. We were hoping you could make sure she isn't going to be affected from the trauma..." His words died off as he saw Mr. D's withering gaze lighted on him.

"You want me to check a girl for _trauma._" It was not a question.

Joe stared at the ground. "Umm, yeah."

Mr. D watched the two with hidden amusement. Their grasp of any mental illness was lacking, but they were partially right. Not that he was going to let them know that. He decided to send them off, then check the girl. Shock was not a pleasant experience for anyone.

"Run along, and don't bother me with something that the infirmary can handle," he said, disinterested.

Looking relieved, Alex and Joe nodded and scurried off. Mr. D turned and headed for the infirmary. Might as well make the acquaintance of this half-blood, another brat for sure, but he could always hope that one would actually have a brain.

Ashley felt the cool sheets covering her. Where was she? What was going on? Slowly, she opened her eyes. Grasping at a vague memory from long ago, she placed her surroundings. Camp Half-Blood. The safe haven for half-bloods. She moved experimentally, but her legs protested painfully. She knew she was fully clothed, so she attempted to sit up.

"I wouldn't advise that at all," came a voice to her left.

Glancing up and over, her eyes came in contact with purple ones.

"What the!" Startled, Ashley shrank back from the man sitting near by.

"Where am I?" she asked when she had decided that the man was not going to harm her.

He rolled his eyes and said exasperatedly, "You must have seen the sign when you came."

Ashley shook her head, her English accent prominent as she replied, "No. I had a lot on my mind right about then, you know."

Slightly surprised, the man inquired, "Are you British?"

Gazing about the room, Ashley answered, "Yup. What gave it away?"

_Enough idle chatter_, she decided. Swinging her legs to the side, she started to stand.

"I wouldn't do-!" the purple eyed man warned, but too late. Ashley practically collapsed back onto the bed.

"OWWW!" she groaned. Glaring around the room, she finally rested her eyes on the man again, and asked in a rather bad temper, "Who are you?"

The question seemed to have a rather negative effect on him. It was almost as if he was offended that she didn't know.

"Mr. D," he answered, got up and started walking away.

"Wait," Ashley called after him. "You never told me where I was."

Turning slightly, he replied, "Camp Half-Blood." He left her now reassured that she did, indeed, know where she was, and that she knew who Mr. D was. Dionysus, god of wine and insanity.

"Brilliant. Just bloody brilliant. And here I was thinking he had learned his lesson." She muttered to herself. Ashley knew that, having lived as long as she had, she was running the risk of him recognizing her. However, as long as she acted like any other camper, she would be fine...But then again, he always had a knack getting under peoples skin. Keeping herself under control might be harder than blending in. Her sword work and aim would have to be faked to be way worse than it actually was. In short, she would have to make sure she was just another beginning camper.

"Brilliant, just bloody brilliant"

**A/N: Thanks for reading Chapter two! Please press the review button. Please. That would be really cool.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Another chapter up! Yay! Enjoy, and read on.**

The moment that they told her she could get out of bed, Ashley slid off the bed and grabbed her shoes. Thoroughly fed up at being stuck in the queer smelling infirmary, she exited quickly. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. New clothes graced her rather unbeaten body. That was not as odd to her as it would have been to most people. She healed quickly and, combined with ambrosia, it was unremarkable that she was unmarked. The clothes fit well and she still had her shoes, which was an improvement from that last time in Russia...

"Hey look who's up and about!"

Ashley whirled around in surprise. "Pardon?"

Two boys strode up to her, grinning.

"You are alive and walking!" exclaimed the boy on the left.

"So it would seem, unless this is some weird dream," Ashley responded in slight confusion.

"Dude, be polite!" the second boy berated. "I'm Alex and this is Joe, the rude one."

Joe recoiled. "The rude one? What do you think you're doing, insulting me like that?"

"Insulting you? I'm not insulting you, I'm just stating facts."

"Stating facts!"

The two boys began to argue while Ashley watched, more confused then when she started the rather odd conversation.

_The last time two guys turned the beginning of a conversation into an argument just like that, was in, oh let me see, 1969. George and Ian, but they were twins. Weird twins, really weird. _

"Err, sorry to interrupt, but do you know where I can find a Chiron? One of the people told me to talk to it."

At sound of her voice, the two boys stopped their argument and started talking over each other.

"Oh yeah! He should be on the porch playing cards with Mr. D," exclaimed Joe.

Yup! Why don't I take you to him," Alex responded quickly.

"We! Why don't _we_ take you to him," Joe put in, glaring at Alex.

"Um, that would be great, if you could lead me to him. Also," Ashley stuck out her hand to Alex. "I'm Ashley, Ashley Williams."

Black hair falling in his gray eyes, Alex shook her hand and put out his other hand, gesturing toward the door behind her.

"Right this way."

They exited through the door as Ashley shook Joe's hand asking, "So, who is this Chiron chap?"

She was given a vague response of, "Wait and see." In her mind, she was trying to think of the best reaction to Chiron telling her that the gods were real.

They went through two more rooms, each a thick oak door. One of them had a pacman machine in it. The other room had a greatly stocked library. Ashley saw _War and Peace b_y Leo Tolstoy, who had been a rather good friend of hers. The 1,440 pages had been rather hard for her to read, being a dyslexic. It had taken a long time to finish that book.

"Ha! I beat you again. That's twice in a row today, Chiron!"

The voice of Mr. D floated through to them in the library.

"Oh," Alex said sounding relieved. "He's in a good mood."

Unsure of what to say, she simply smiled nervously at him.

Joe pushed open the door for her and muttered to Alex, "Now who's rude?"

"Really dude?"

Louder, Joe spoke to the back of man with thinning hair, sitting in a wheelchair. "This is Ashley Williams, Chiron. She just arrived yesterday."

Chiron turned around with a smile. "Ah, our newest camper. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood!"

He turned and threw a glance to Mr. D that could only be read as, 'Mind your manners'.

"Allow me to introduce you to Mr. D, our camp director."

She nodded her head toward Mr. D then turned to Chiron, green eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief.

"Chiron, huh. I guess your parents really liked Greek mythology," Ashley said, smiling to show she meant no insult.

He chuckled and gestured for her to sit down. As he did so, Mr. D eyed the two boys lingering uncertainly.

"Don't you have some classes to attend?" He dismissed them in no uncertain terms with those words.

Quickly nodding, the two stumbled off in opposite directions, leaving with rather obvious relief and shooting a sympathetic smile at the girl as they did. Ashley chose the seat in front of her which placed her between Mr. D and Chiron. Quickly, she decided that fidgeting with her hands out of nervousness would be a suitable reaction.

"Ashley," Chiron began. "How much do you know about Greek Mythology?"

_You have no idea, s_he thought to herself.

"A bit. My mom read us some of the stories. I've always found them interesting. Why?"

He smiled at her and pulled back his wheelchair.

"Follow me please."

_Why do adults have that annoying habit of making you stand when you just sat down?_

Ashley was led to a small TV in a dark room. It had a few chairs, and a small projector. Choosing one, she settled down to watch the movie.

"This should answer all your questions. Just come out when you are finished."

"Umm thanks, I think."

Chiron smiled and wheeled away. She turned her attention to the video. It gave the basics of what Camp Half-Blood was. Information about Chiron, Mr. D, monsters, and the other gods. They kept it interesting, very helpful for the ADHD challenged. As soon as it was complete, Ashley sighed. This might be a rather stupid idea. Slowly getting to her feet, she walked out to the table. She smiled nervously and said, guessing that it might be an appropriate response,

"This is a joke right? I mean, really elaborate one, but a joke nonetheless?"

"Typical, another one who won't believe. Wasn't the monster enough to convince you?" Mr. D groaned.

"Monster? That thing that was chasing me?"

"What do kids say these days? Duh?"

Ashley nodded, bewilderedly.

"Well then, duh!"

She turned her attention to Chiron.

"You're saying this is real? That he's a _god_?"

Chiron nodded and said, "It might be a bit hard to take in, but think back to all those times where you noticed something odd, like a teacher who had horns, but only briefly."

Ashley thought for a couple of seconds, and then inquired, "So my father is a god?"

Chiron turned his full attention to her after placing his cards on the table.

"Yes."

"But that would make me a demigod."

"Yes."

"Which would mean that you really are _the _Chiron who trained all the other ones."

"Yes."

"And him?" She gestured briefly to Mr. D

Chiron hesitated, not sure whether to answer for Mr. D or not.

"It's not like he's a god, right? Right?"

Chiron visibly winced.

"Or he _is_ a god." Ashley corrected herself. W_hoops._

She turned to Mr. D.

"Who are you?"

Mr. D turned his head slowly to simply stare at her.

"You know who I am. We were introduced not to long ago. Not that I would expect you to remember, such awful minds you young people have."

Ashley gathered up the nerve to say,

"You know that's not what I meant. D has to stand for something..."

Ashley knew who he was but it was easier this way. Better for him to think her a simpleton than someone he had met centuries ago.

Mr. D glared at her for moment then sighed, not the reaction Ashley was expecting. He waved his hand through the air and a goblet appeared before him. Not what she was expecting either.

A sudden crash caught Mr. D's attention. Chiron attempted to get out of his wheelchair quickly, but getting his entire body out of the compact space was much easier when done slowly. By the time he was able to wriggle out of the chair, Mr. D had gotten up already, his goblet disappearing, and was halfway to the upturned chair where Ashley had sat just a few seconds ago.

The moment his goblet had appeared, Ashley had been so startled that she had jumped back. However, she was in a chair and jumping back caused it to unbalance and crash to the floor. She got up quickly but was treated to the sight of half a centaur and a laughing god. Reddening, Ashley quickly asked Chiron, "The video said something about a tour?"

She said it too hurriedly and was avoiding any eye contact with Mr. D. Even the centaur was having trouble keeping a straight face. He cleared his throat, obviously hiding a chuckle, and nodded. "Of, erhem, course! You won't mind if Jake shows you around do you?" He coughed again as Ashley righted the chair and replied, "Nope! That would be fine." _Anything to get out of there! _She thought.

Chiron called out to a passing kid. "Jake, could you come here a moment?"

A tow headed boy taller than her with a mischievous glint in his eyes, walked up to them.

"What's up Chiron?" He questioned, glancing from Chiron to Ashley.

"Would you take Ashley on a tour please?" he asked over Mr. D's quiet chuckles.

"Sure! Nice to meet you Ashley, I'm Jake. Ready for your tour?"

Nodding, Ashley walked to him with relief written on her face.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I promise more action in the next chapter. Remember to hit the review button!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Woohoo! I promised action in the previous chapter, so here goes!**

As they walked, Ashley studied Jake. He seemed to be about seventeen years old, with a summer tan, and bright blue eyes. He had a confident swagger about him. She could tell that he had an affinity for trouble.

"These are the strawberry fields."

Jake's voice shook Ashley out of her thoughts.

"We grow them to fund the maintenance and stuff. They aren't much work because they tend to go crazy when Mr. D comes around."

Nodding, Ashley gazed at all of them. Without turning to him, she asked, "So, is everyone assigned chores?"

Jake beckoned her to follow him as he answered, "We are, but we can trade with other cabins."

"Okay, but the cabin organization is different from normal summer camps right?"

He smiled, showing gleaming white teeth. "Definitely. We go by who our godly parent is. For example, I'm a son of Hermes, so I'm in Cabin 11."

"Just curious, how do you know you are a son of Hermes?"

Even after so many years, she had not actually found out about that. Early on, everyone just knew, but so many things had changed; she had no knowledge of how it worked now.

"Your parent sends you a sign. Ah, here we are! Allow me to present the forge, where you will spend most of your time if you happen to be a child of Hephaestus. But you don't strike me as one." He grinned at her.

She smiled back as they moved on. They circled around the camp, stopping here and there whenever she had questions.

Jake was friendly, and Ashley enjoyed his company. He purposely kept the cabins for last.

"It'll be the big finish," he explained. Guessing that they were rather large and impressive, she didn't argue.

They finally came to them. Cabins 1 and 2 were, by far, the largest. They stopped at cabin three as a black haired teenager stepped out.

Jake hailed him. "Hey Percy! Off to teach another class?"

Percy looked mournful.

"If only. I have to work at the strawberry field. I got the unlucky shift with Mr. D."

Jake winced. "Sorry man. Hey, there's someone I want you to meet. Ashley, this is Percy Jackson. Percy, this is Ashley Williams."

Percy flicked black hair out of his eyes and held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Ashley."

She took his hand and smiled. "I've heard a lot about you, Percy."

He chuckled. "Not all of it is true. I'm sure they exaggerated. Are you new here?"

Ashley nodded.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, but I have to go." Percy pulled a long face.

Laughing, they waved goodbye and watched him walk off. Ashley saw a girl hook her arm around his and smile.

"That's Annabeth, his girlfriend." Something in Jake's voice made him sound rather bitter.

"Come on, we still have the rest of the cabins to see." he said abruptly.

He was sullen for the rest of the tour. He stopped at cabin 11.

"This is where you'll stay until you get claimed. Although, why you haven't been claimed already is beyond me."

She shot him a confused look.

He explained. "Ever since Percy saved Olympus, the gods swore to claim all their kids before they turned thirteen. That was the reward that Percy asked for."

Nodding, she steered the conversation onto a completely different topic.

"Ummm, I had a duffel bag, but I think I dropped it coming here. Do you know any place I can go to get some new things?" She asked, reddening slightly.

"No need Ashley, it's all right here."

She whirled around in surprise as Alex spoke in his tenor voice. He was holding up her black duffel bag in his right hand. She could tell it was hers just by the small tears and fringed edges on it. That bag had lasted her quite a few years. It had shared some scary adventures with her and she was not ready to give it up.

Grinning wildly, she could barely contain her excitement as she walked up to him.

"Oh, thank you Alex! I don't know what I would do without it!" She gently grasped the out stretched duffel, unzipped it, and peeked in. All her clothes were there, plus a few magic weapons, not that anyone else needed to know that.

"It's all there, thank you again Alex. Where did you find it?"

"Near the bottom of the hill. I guessed it was probably yours."

"Sorry to interrupt, but Ashley, why don't we get you settled in. Afterwards, I can help you get fitted for capture the flag," Jake intervened.

"I beg your pardon?" Ashley's English drawl accented the words.

Stifling a smile, Jake responded, "Capture the flag, it's a game we play here. We get suited up in our armor and-"

"Armor! I really do not have a death wish, I swear. This is a really bad idea," Ashley put in rather explosively. Even though she knew how to fight well and would be perfectly safe on her own, she was incredulous at the idea of sending someone into battle untrained.

"You'll be fine," Alex soothed. "I'm on your team, I'll look after you. Besides, all half-bloods have a knack for battle."

_Oh dear, _Ashley thought to herself.

"This helmet is slipping," Ashley complained. Until she could be measured properly, she had been given a one-size-fits-all suit of armor. Clearly, one size did _not_ fit all.

Alex chuckled as he watched her adjust it.

"Hold on, one of your shoulder straps is wrong."

They paused as he reached over and fixed it. "There you are!" He grinned triumphantly.

Ashely rolled her eyes at him.

"So, what exactly will I be doing all through this c_apture the flag_?" She inquired.

"You are stuck with me on offense. We have been told to create a distraction so our teammates can grab the flag. Since we are allied with the Hephaestus cabin, I was given some handy tools."

Cocking her head to the side she asked warily, "What handy tools?"

He smiled evilly. "You'll see, I promise."

She swallowed hard. He had the of voice of a mad scientist. She had known another son of Athena who had sounded just like that. He had always been up for a fight, with handy tricks up his sleeve.

"Heroes!"

Chiron's resounding voice could be heard by all the campers.

"Remember, no killing or maiming. The creek is the boundary line and you may utilize the entire forest. The banner must be prominently displayed and have no more than two guards. Prisoners are not allowed to be gagged and bound, but may be disarmed. All magic weapons are allowed. I will be the referee and battle field medic. Campers, to your stations!"

Ashley jogged with the rest of the blue team as they went to their side.

"Now, wait for the horn." Alex ordered.

Ashley wondered briefly if she would enjoy this game.

A blast from the conch shell horn signaled the beginning of the game. Alex darted off with Ashley on his heels.

Alex glanced at her. "You're doing good!" he praised.

"Are you kidding? How do you run with all this armor?" gasped Ashley.

"Hey, you two!"

They turned around as Joe joined them. He carried the armor on his burly form with ease.

"Alex, they need you over on the left." He smiled apologetically at Ashley. "I'm afraid you are on your own."

Stunned, Ashley and Alex just stood there for a second until Alex turned to her.

"Here, take these." He said, giving her an assortment of colored balls, and tubes. "These will help you distract them. Just look like you are going for the flag, then run away as quickly as possible." He held up one of the red balls. "This one is loud. Pull the pin, throw it, and cover your ears. This blue ball is a smoke bomb." Holding up a black tube, he explained, "This is a hologram of a bunch of blue members running toward them." he finished with a worried look in his eye. "Here, take this bag to put them all in."

Smiling, Ashley told him confidently, "Go on. When you hear the screams, that'll be them running away."

Nodding several times, the two boys ran off into the forest. Ashley turned toward the creek, and began to move silently to the other side.

Quietly, she stalked through the grass and twigs, looking for a large group of kids that might lead her to the flag.

_There! _She could see them moving away from a clearing.

_Too easy, s_he thought, as she slung her shield across her back and began to move faster. The sun was sinking fast, creating shadows to hide her as she stooped, ducked, and weaved through the darkening forest. She waited until the group past by. She knew they were leaving to look for the other flag.

_Now, time to see how many there are._ Speedily weaving closer, she saw the two kids guarding the flag and five others guarding the prisoners. Seven total; a distraction would be easy. She pulled out a red ball. Peeking out from behind a tree, she noticed her team mates coming closer. Quickly, she pulled out the pin, and tossed the ball right between the two guards. Placing her hands to her ears, she crouched low. The sound was deafening. Not loud enough to burst eardrums, but loud enough to stun the guards. To add some more confusion to the mix, she threw a blue ball. Smoke poured out thickly, providing cover for the blue team. Ashley, aware that they could not see her, ran into the mass confusion, and began to kick and punch to add turmoil.

Noticing the smoke about to clear, she sprinted away towards the border line, only to be stopped by a hulk of a guy.

"You're mine, bitch!" He screamed.

"Whoa there, old chap! You do not need to curse!" She responded, frowning. Her frown turned to horror as he pulled out a battle ax.

Shining metal hummed as he swung it once.

Ashley had always tried to make it a habit _not_ to get into a fight with an ax man. It simply wasn't healthy. Taking out her sword, she sank into a balanced stance. He moved forward, swinging the ax faster and faster.

Struggling, she fought the monster inside of her that was raging to come out and take care of this puny child that had dared attack her.

The boy attacked, bringing his weapon over his head to come crashing down. She dodged to the left, slamming the hilt of the sword into his side where the armor was weak.

He roared. Lifting his ax from the ground, he swung it at her. Ashley ducked quickly, then sprung up, spun around, and brought her booted foot toward his chest.

Unfortunately, all ax men are very solid. Even though her foot made solid contact with his chest, his layer of muscle and armor absorbed the attack.

He grunted like a troll, then jabbed the ax toward her. Darting back, Ashley shook her head to clear the red cloud of rage the monster always came with. She would not let it control her!

She did not want to hurt the boy, but she had to shut him down before he brought others to the scene. She decided to go on the offensive. Keeping her weight even, she bent her knees, ready for his next swing. He began to raise up his ax for a downward chop. She ran toward him, spun herself again, and connected her boot with the back of his head. She made the kick hard enough so he just went unconscious. No brain damage would occur, although he would wake up with a massive headache and no memory of what had happened.

Sprinting again for the boundary, she could hear feet pounding after her.

Where were the rest of her team mates? They should have crossed by now. Suddenly, she saw a red team member, speeding toward the creek. He was holding the flag.

"Oh no you don't," she muttered to herself and accelerated.

Leaping across the creek, she ran full tilt, straight into the teen. They collided painfully. About to pick up the flag, she stopped abruptly. A sword was pointed at her throat.

"Get up and drop your weapon," came the growling command.

Slowly, she unsheathed her sword and placed it on the ground.

"Walk over to the other side, now!" Ashley backed up, tripped, and fell. Rolling quickly, to her right, she flipped onto her shoulder, then stood. Standing over the flag, she yelled,

"A little help here would not go unappreciated!"

Three red players moved forward in unison. Simultaneously, they all hit the ground, in agony, as hard rubber tipped arrows found the chinks in their armor.

Crouching as a flurry of arrows sailed around her, she watched as Alex ran across the creek with the red flag in his hand and Joe and Jake right behind him.

Rising, Ashley backed up to give them plenty of room to come to a halt. She grinned at the three of them, then winced as they all pounded her back yelling happily. She distanced herself from the party that was ensuing and began to walk back to the Hermes cabin to pick up some clothes for a shower. It had been a particularly exhausting day and she was ready to crash. She removed her helmet, and handed it to a nearby Hephaestus boy. Unlatching her arm-guards with slow fingers, she glanced at her rings. Ashely had used the magic weapons for so long now, it had been extremely difficult to refrain from doing so. She was almost at the cabin ring, when suddenly a swarm of kids swept her to the campfire. As she blinked rapidly to keep from falling asleep she steeped backward to move away from everyone.

She bumped into someone. She turned around.

Mr. D's glare made her jump away with a look that was a cross between indignant and apologetic.

Not sure what to say, she fumbled with her arm guards that she had finally taken off. She tried to move on, but people pressed around them as they made their way to the campfire.

She found herself next to Mr. D again.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, annoyed.

"Um, I'm a camper," Ashley's accent drawled.

"Shouldn't you be singing with your little friends? "

"I can't sing_," _Ashley said after a bit of hesitation.

Mr. D grunted and began to walk away as Chiron announced the winner of capture the flag.

She walked quickly to catch up to him.

"What is it about this place you do not like?"

Inwardly, she cursed herself for asking such a stupid question. She didn't know why she was even talking to him. Just because they knew each other a long time ago did not give her leave to blow her cover.

She did not want anyone finding out who she truly was: Immortal, almost like the hunters of Artemis, a remarkable fighter, a girl with a horrifying reputation among monsters. The girl who had known Dionysus before he had even become a god, only for him to forget her. He had no idea who she was, other than another annoying brat.

He turned to her slowly. Violet eyes flashed at her.

_Well, you got yourself into this mess, now finish it,_ she thought.

"It's the heroes isn't it?" She said it as a statement rather than a question.

Jake had told her that Mr. D's dislike for being 'grounded' and his hatred for heroes made him bad tempered all the time.

Growling the words out, Mr. D responded, "Get out of here child, before I force you into a bottle of merlot!"

After years of defying those who would have her dead, she couldn't help but be rebellious.

Her eyes narrowed sternly. Their bright green color darkened, as she tensed imperceptibly.

They stood like that for what seemed like minutes, though it was actually just a second.

Suddenly, Ashley relaxed and said, "The world needs heroes Mr. D, even if you do not."

Walking away, she began to shake. Unconsciously rubbing her hands together, she kept an even pace.

"That was refreshing," a voice said behind her.

She jumped sideways, and tripped. Just before she hit the ground, a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist tightly, pulling her back up.

"And so was that." A smirk appeared on Mr. D's face as she reddened with embarrassment.

Ashley straightened her loose armor, then glared at the man. Quickly, she wiped the expression off her face.

"Tell me, what gave you audacity to talk to me that way?"

"Um." She was saved from having to answer by Alex, Joe, and Jake rushing over to her and dragging her over to meet a lot of people. She would have to ask them what their names were again later. She was too caught up remembering what things had been like, over two thousand years ago. Remembering getting caught up in those same violet eyes. Had she changed as much as he had?

**A/N: I promised action, did I not? I think I delivered it. If you want more, just ask! :) Curious as to how Ashley knew Mr. D? Well you will just have to read on.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Chapter 4 Whoohoo! Now for a small taste of Ashley's past...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.**

Exhaustion crashed down on Ashley the moment her head hit the pillow. Sleep overcame her as she slipped into darkness.

_She sat at the edge of a hill. Her dark green eyes observed everything automatically. Well, almost everything._

"_Got you!" came a voice behind her as a pair of hands suddenly grasped her shoulders._

"_What in Hades?!" She yelped and rolled away. Whirling around, she saw who it was._

"_Don't do that!" Ashley exclaimed._

_Dionysus grinned cheekily and held up a basket._

"_It's so much fun though! But, if it will make you feel better, I brought things to eat."_

_He sat down, placed the basket in front of himself and squinted up at her._

"_Come on, sit down. Aren't you hungry?" he asked._

_Glancing around, Ashley bit her lip worriedly. They should not be together, it was scandalous. A girl alone with a man and no escort; the shame would be immeasurable._

"_Aellai, don't worry, no one is here! I checked myself."_

_Ashley turned to the sound of her birth name and gave Dionysus a shaky smile._

"_Alright, but not for long. I have to get back home soon." She lowered herself to the ground, feeling the soft grass in her hands. His smile widened and he began to pull out food from the basket. They began to talk quietly in Greek, laughing and simply enjoying the presence of the other. Aellai turned her head toward the wind and breathed. The grass seemed to turn to waves as the breeze passed through it. Leaves lazed through the air as Apollo shone brightly on his chariot. Aellai was too caught up in the serenity to notice unseen insects suddenly stop their busy humming. She caught Dionysus watching her with the smallest of smiles on his face._

"_What?" _

_He reached out a hand, and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Blushing slightly, she grasped his hand and held it. Neither noticed when the birds stopped singing._

"_Let's put this away," Dionysus began, "I have something to show you."_

_Rapidly, they placed the remnants of their meal back into the basket and placed the lid back on._

"_What is it?" Aellai inquired curiously._

_He smirked at her, grabbed her hand, and began to run. Her eyes widened in surprise, then pleasure as she fell in pace with him. They ran past a small creek and began to move upward. After dodging trees, skirting around rocks, and jumping over ditches, he suddenly stopped. Ever graceful, Aellai ran right into him. Dionysus laughed, then walked to the edge of a cliff._

_He beckoned her over. Taking hesitant steps, she drew close to the edge and peered down._

_The sight was breath taking. A large river ran at the bottom, while Nereids and dryads and satyrs danced to haunting music as the water sparkled from the sun. Lush green grass grew and waved silently with the wind. Birds chirped and trilled in harmony with the tune._

"_It's beautiful!" Aellai whispered in awe._

_Dionysus nodded happily. _

"_It is isn't-?" he stopped listening intently. _

"_Dio-" she started, but was shushed by a hand waving her to be quiet._

_Aellai followed his example, cocked her head, and began to listen._

_Then she heard it. The low, dark rumblings of an evil creature._

_Green eyes widened in fear as she pinpointed its location. Dionysus stepped in front of her, his eyes narrowed in concentration. Then they saw it._

_Saliva dripping from its maw. It bared teeth and hard black eyes glared at them angrily. Its fur, the color of night, glistened as razor sharp claws clicked ominously against the stone._

"_Di imortales, a hell-hound!" Dionysus hissed fearfully. He pulled out a wine stopper. It flashed and turned into a sword._

"_Come on then, beast! Let us test your mettle!" he challenged and charged the hell-hound. It leaped to the side as he swung his sword. Raising a paw to slash down, it felt a rock thud against its skull. Roaring, it ignored Dionysus, and bounded toward Aellai who held another stone in her hand._

_She screamed as she threw it. The hell-hound yelped as the rock hit its eye, then howled as sword slashed at its hind legs. Growling, it made a final leap, caught Aellai in its claws, and barreled off the cliff, leaving Dionysus to watch in horror as the two tumbled down into the river below._

_Aellai spilled down, the wind rushing past her as she struggled to extract herself from the monster's clutches. She didn't have much time as they completed one final somersault that left her on her back. They smashed into the river. Thousands of bubbles surrounded them as white foam gently pushed Aellai to the surface. The monster shook itself, flinging droplets of water everywhere. The river glimmered and shimmered, blue turning to gold as something rose from it._

You are the first to enter my domain, demigod_. A voice resonated in Aellai mind. _Not even a day old, this river, and you bring a spawn of evil here. What shall I do with you?

_Aellai did not know how to respond or speak to the river god that had arisen from the water. She replayed the recent events simply to see if there were any clues at how to respond. It was the best thing she could have done. Already in her mind, the god watched her memories in silence._

You had no intention of bringing this monster here. However, if you do not kill it, I will kill you._ The god sank beneath the water with these words and Aellai opened her eyes. Getting up slowly, she cautiously peered at the hell-hound. She listed her options._

_She could run, but the monster was faster than her._

_She could fight, but she had no idea at how to go about it._

_Wait._

_She turned her gaze to a hard, jagged slab of rock. If she could trick the monster into running into it, razor sharp edges would kill it. Moving slowly, she sloshed her way out of the river. The moment she touched earth, she sprinted toward it._

_The hell-hound howled and raced after her. It dragged its large paws out the mud, gnashing its teeth. Aellai reached the rock and whirled around to face it. Claws unsheathed, it leapt toward her, growling furiously. At the last moment, Aellai flung herself aside, bashing her head on a rock. The downward slope carried her back to the water. She never saw the monster spear itself against the rock._

_The river god emerged once more. The river had just been completed. It had been blessed to last an eternity. But as the last words had been spoken, Aellai had entered the water, as did the hell-hound. She now carried part of the immortality and part of the monster's volatile, angry nature. The god rubbed his horns thoughtfully. She could still be killed, but she would never die of old age. Wounds would heal practically the moment they were made. However, the god knew that the immortality and the monster essence would never mix. Blowing loudly through his nostrils, he decided to save her. He placed his hand on her forehead and breathed. He placed within her mind a guardian against the monster. It would hold until it was dismissed. It would gauge everything until then. It would do anything to save her, or itself, now that it was her. The god needed a trigger; something that would remove the guardian when it was no longer needed._

_Then he grinned to himself._

_To prove herself worthy of such a gift as immortality, she must unite herself with the guardian. He would make it so she would think of it as a monster inside. Never trusting it until..._

_The god growled. He couldn't think of anything. Something to trigger this memory._

_Suddenly, he swiveled his head up to the cliff. Ah, Dionysus, the soon to be god. Yes, that would do nicely._

_He whispered gently, _"You and all others will think of the guardian inside you as a monster until the day you can unite yourself with it. You will need the help of another. Neither of you will know what must be done. This is the price for your immortality."_ As he said the words in Greek, thunder boomed loudly across the clear sky and the water in which the girl and the god lay and stood shimmered gold._

_The current would take her to another village._

_He knew she wouldn't remember what had happened at the river, nor her family. _But there were two things she would never forget; her name, and Dionysus._ He thought to himself. _

"Good luck,"_ he added in gravelly tones._

Ashley awoke with a start. She couldn't remember her dream, but she had the strangest feeling it was important. Growling in annoyance to herself, she glanced a some kid's alarm clock. The Hermes cabin was full, but she had gotten a bed. However, it was slightly lumpy and dug into her shoulder. Shifting uncomfortably, Ashley opened her eyes fully. A loud snore came from the bed next to hers. Disturbed, she turned to see Conner Stoll turning roughly over as he pulled up the thin summer sheet on his shoulder. The rustle of fabric stopped the moment the sleeping boy became comfortable. When she heard him breathe deeply, Ashley decided to follow his example. Pulling up the sheet, she shifted over to her side and closed her eyes again. Sleep snatched at her quickly, and claimed her for the rest of the night. No more dreams haunted her as she breathed deeply in peace.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! There you have it, a little bit of background. Not as long as I would have liked but it seemed appropriate to stop there. I'm sorry for the long pause between chapter four and this one, but school intervened. I promise more action in the next chapter. :)**


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